Boston Magazine
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Winner, Best Car-Buying Advice |
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Winner, Best Car-Buying Advice |
Boston Magazine 's Best of Boston has only listed, to the best of my knowledge, "Best Car-Buying Advice" as a category for 1995 and 1998.
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Article from Auto Weekly
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"Cardealerphobia: |
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By Amy Miller |
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”Robert Aron guarantees he will save you $1500 on a car if you put him in the driver's seat. During negotiations, that is. It's a little hard to believe, I'll grant you, but this self-described auto consultant promises to save you nearly three times the bill for your flat fee, and claims the average is more like $2000. Sound a little fishy? Sit down with Aron and the Watertown man will tell you how he does it. In what may be worth as much as the financial savings, Aron protects his clients from the wheeling and dealing of dealers, people he is more than used to handling. That's why he calls his one-man business "Cardealerphobia." Just last week, a young male client had decided he wanted a dark blue 1996 Monte Carlo for his next car. That was after he and Aron discussed the possibilities, then test-drove a Chrysler Sebring and a Mazda 626, as well as the Monte Carlo. Once the decision was made, Aron trotted back down to the Chevy dealer and began negotiating for the car. In fact, Aron admits, he did better than even he had imagined. The goal was to find a way for the guy to trade in his old car, a Cutlass Supreme with a book value of $9,500, get the new car priced at about $18,000 and to get the price as low as possible because his client didn't have the $1,000 down payment Aron envisioned he'd have to pay, even in a best-case scenario. As it happened, the dealer agree to go $350 under cost, and then paid more than Aron predicted for the used car — $11,200. But every case is completely different, says Aron. Sometimes he is looking for used cars. Other times clients have little idea what kind of car they want. Then Aron goes through the possibilities, describes the pros and cons, and helps a buyer figure out what makes sense given the person's life, tastes, and pocketbook. There are two main reasons why Aron may not be lying about his claims — points he is happy to articulate. For one, dealers would like to keep his business, since he makes car decisions about 125 times a year rather than the once every four years or so of most customers. And secondly, Aron has done enough of this work to know what a dealer is really paying and "reasonably possible" is. In general, he says, he can get the dealers down to zero profit, depending on the vehicle. That's often thousands below what they aim for. In the case of the Monte Carlo, a Joe Schmoe off the street would have been asked to pay easily a thousand dollars or more over cost, and even the brightest Jane Schmoe would not have Aron's leverage. Every now and then a dealer will take a loss rather than see Aron take his business elsewhere, but for the most part Aron knows he should usually aim for a few hundred dollars above dealer costs. And this means knowing when a dealer is getting a manufacturer's rebate, and when the prices fall, for instance. A short man with a friendly, but persistent personality, Aron seems to get things done without raising his voice and without giving up. And he always aims to maximize his customers' dollars. Once, he called around New England to find a particular car in a specific color for a client. The only dealer who had the car offered it to Aron, after some time, for $400 over his own costs. But Aron found out the car had come in a few months earlier, before prices had been raised an insisted on getting the $240 back for his customer. "I said to the dealer, 'If you ever want to see me again you better have a check for my client for $240 waiting,' recalls Aron. Even though he knew his client would be satisfied with the original price, he says it's his job to get the best deal possible. For the flat fee, Aron does all the negotiating and paperwork, accompanies the person on a test drive, takes used cars to the mechanic, and arranges for financing. Clients who do not know what kind of car they want can work with Aron, who explains the advantages and disadvantages of most cars, and helps them decide what they can afford. A typical gig means a few hours of intake to begin, and the two four- to five-hour sessions test-driving, with dealers negotiating and doing the paperwork. Of course, the time varies tremendously. His clients are split half and half between men and women, and the greatest number of them drive or want Japanese cars, though he personally drives a Taurus. For used car purchases, he strongly recommends a mechanic check out the car. Although Aron will drive the car to the mechanic and do all the leg work, a customer does pay extra for this. He admits that customers who are looking for a used car under $5,000 will probably not do well with his services. He basically does not believe you can get a reliable car for that amount. Although there are agents out there who represent a combination of the buyer and seller, Aron claims he is alone in this area as someone who solely represents the buyer. The flat fee means customers get what they need without feeling rushed, and there isn’t any incentive for Aron to have his clients buy more expensive cars. "I know when dealers are stretching and there is no more room to stretch," said Aron. "Usually my client says, OK, you got me a great deal, and I say: Why don’t you get a drink of water, and I'll save you more money." In fact, Aron got into the business quite by accident, coming from a career 180 degrees away. He was working as an HIV risk assessment and pre- and post-test counselor through a contract with the Department of Public Health when a friend of his was looking for a car. Aron helped find and negotiate for a car. He did so well other friends began to ask him to do the same for them. Eventually his life partner suggested he do this for a living. And slowly he began to move in that direction. After 2 1/2 years at it, Aron claims he still loves the work, and has done so well he barely needs to advertise. He puts an ad here or there in Bay Windows, a newspaper for the gay community, but about 85 percent of his business, he says, are referrals at this point. He has been asked to franchise Cardealerphobia! around the country, but wants to keep the business small and personal. To those who are interested in his service, but skeptical, he sends a list of former clients' names along with a few recommendation letters. Writers report how Aron saved them time and aggravation, even when they thought they were great negotiators. But success has a cost. Aron admits to at least six-day work weeks and days that turn into nights. A meeting with Aron, at least for a journalist and not a client, is apt to mean delays and late nights as Aron finds himself in situations he couldn't have predicted. "We didn't plan on buying a car today," he said, after clinching the deal on the Monte Carlo. On a typical day, he might speak to clients on the phone until noon, and then does test driving, negotiating, and dealer-shopping if necessary. He also spends the time protecting clients from pushy salespeople. This, of course, may be what people are really there for. To anyone who challenges his claim about saving them a good $1,500, he invites you to go see how well you can do on a car and then compare it against his price. Or find out how well a friend does, and compare it to Aron's deal. His clout, he says, is his loyalty to dealers. His leverage is his freedom to walk out the door. "If a dealer screws up or intentionally makes a stupid business decision, a decision not in my client's best interest, I can walk out the door and go to a different dealership. I'm a free agent and that's something I'm very proud of."
This article appeared in Auto Weekly, the week of June 5 - 11, 1996. Personal footnote from Robert: Since the above article was written a number of years ago, there are some revisions I would like to make: I have been helping my clients buy cars, minivans, SUV’s, and trucks since January 1993, and I’ve put together over 500 car deals for my clients. The average savings for each client is around $1800, and can be as high as $3000 (depending on the situation). Since I give each client as much time as they need, I can only put together about 50 car deals a year. I no longer do any advertising, and 100% of my business comes from either repeat/previous clients or new clients who have been referred my way from previous clients. I’m able to obtain such incredibly great deals for my clients because of the sheer volume of car deals I put together per year, and the number of years I have been doing this. And, oh yes, I now drive a Camry and not a Taurus. If you have any questions, or would like to inquire further, please do not hesitate to call me at 617.926.6916. I welcome the opportunity to work with you! |